Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Partner With the Chamber Insurance Trust to Offer Dental Products to Chamber of Commerce Members

NORTH HAVEN, Conn., Nov. 23, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- 40,000 local businesses and 79 working Chambers of Commerce throughout Connecticut will soon be able to offer their employees and members an extensive portfolio of Dental Prime and Dental Complete programs, thanks to a new dental program developed by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut.

"Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is proud to team up with the Chamber Insurance Trust in our launch of Dental Prime and Dental Complete, which are competitive insurance programs backed by one of the most trusted names in the industry – Anthem," said James Augur, vice president of sales, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut. "With our new portfolio of dental products, purchasing dental insurance for chamber members just became relatively convenient, easy and affordable. Research has demonstrated that 62 percent of employers view dental benefits as an essential component of their benefits package*.  Through this partnership, employees can now offer their employees dental insurance."

Available January 1, 2011, the Dental Prime and Complete programs will enable approximately 40,000 local businesses and working Chambers of Commerce throughout the state to offer their employees and members Anthem dental products.  Both Dental Prime and Complete are the among the largest dental PPO networks in Connecticut – Prime includes a national network of 84,000 provider locations and Complete includes a nationwide network of 90,000 provider locations.  Locally in Connecticut, Prime includes 2,541 providers and Complete includes 2,862 providers. Anthem, through Anthem Life, has been a partner with Chamber Insurance Trust since 2009 on life, disability, and voluntary offerings through the Chamber Life and Disability portfolio.

Protect those that matter most – your employees

Research suggests a connection between poor oral health and certain health issues like gum disease, heart disease and stroke. And dental care is costly. The Center of Disease Control recently reported that an estimated $102 billion was spent on dental in 2009. Therefore, these new plans from Anthem – Dental Prime and Dental Complete – are designed to support both oral health and overall health.

"Dental insurance may be one of the most important purchases you'll ever make", said Stephen Glick, administrator, Chamber Insurance Trust. "Anthem Dental Prime and Complete delivers exactly the kind of product we are proud to offer our members."  

This new dental portfolio includes three core plan designs – Value dental plans, Classic dental plans and Enhanced dental plans. The Value plans include coverage for basic services such as cleanings, exams, X-rays and fillings. The Classic plans include coverage for basic dental services and additional coverage for most major services, all with high annual maximum benefit levels. The Enhanced plans offer the greatest level of coverage and include choices for even higher annual maximum benefit levels and lower member coinsurance amounts. In addition, voluntary dental plans are available and allow employers to offer dental coverage to their employees at no additional cost to the employer. All dental plans include coverage for brush biopsy for early cancer detection.

Michael Nicastro, incoming president and CEO of the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce and president of the Chamber Insurance Trust Leadership Cabinet said, "Adding high value insurance products such as quality dental programs is just another way that the mission of chambers of commerce continues to expand for their members.  As the total healthcare picture continues to evolve and unfold the chambers will serve as the trusted partner and advocate to the business community, both large and small."

Dental Prime and Dental Complete products are underwritten by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.  The Chamber Life and Chamber Disability portfolio includes life, accidental death & dismemberment, short-term disability, long-term disability and voluntary products.

*Source: NADP, Purchaser Behavior Study, 2008

For more information, call 203-795-9756 or visit www.citrust.com.

About Chamber Insurance Trust

Chamber Insurance Trust (CIT) is a voluntary alliance of all participating Chambers of Commerce across Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. Created to bring the combined buying power of thousands of Chamber members, CIT's complete range of insurance options offer small, mid-sized and large businesses competitively priced benefit packages. From its inception in 1992, CIT serves more than 8,000 businesses from the Chambers of Commerce in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Anthem Health Plans, Inc., an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ® ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.  Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut is available at www.anthem.com.

SOURCE Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut